National Coalition Party (Finland)
Encyclopedia
The National Coalition Party is a liberal conservative
political
party in Finland
founded in 1918.
The National Coalition Party is one of the four largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party
, the Centre Party
and the True Finns
. The party bases its politics on "individual freedom and responsibility, equality, Western democracy and economic system, humane principles and caring." The party is strongly pro-European and is a member of the European People's Party
(EPP).
Its vote share has been around 20% in parliamentary elections in the 1990s and 2000s. It won 44 out of 200 seats in the parliamentary
elections of 2011
, becoming the largest party in the Finnish parliament for the first time in its history. On communal level it had become the most popular party already in 2008.
The party defends "individual freedom and promote people’s opportunities to make choices, but without ignoring everyone’s responsibility for one’s own life, fellowmen and the environment. Our ideology combines freedom
with responsibility
, democracy
and equality
". The party's basic values are education
, tolerance
, rewarding and caring.
The party has several political currents. In international affairs, the party has viewed the European Union
in much more positive terms than any other party. It is also supportive of seeking membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The party wants to build "economically and politically stronger European Union, we envisage an EU that is a more effective and a more prominent actor in world politics".
Polls show that as of 2008, the National Coalition Party is the party that has been viewed most positively by Finns and its membership has been on the rise. Out of the major parties, the National Coalition Party has the highest proportion of women (2005 statistics) and is the most favored party among young generations (2008 statistics).
The party has strongest support on cities in Southern Finland and is popular among entrepreneurs, although not associating in any particular social group.
Student Union of National Coalition is the largest political student's movement in Finland.
The party's Women's League (Kokoomuksen Naisten Liitto/Samlingspartiets Kvinnoförbund, or shortly Kokoomusnaiset) brings women together and focuses on improving gender equality in Finland and around the world. It believes that "women and men must have the same opportunities and rights to come to life, grow up, receive education, participate, work and care".
The Swedish-language activities are organised by the Centre-right Coalition in Finland (Borgerlig samling i Finland, BiF).
Many immigrants have joined the National Immigrants , an immigrant group led by Turkish-born Hülya Kytö from Turku
.
, by the majority of the Finnish Party
and the minority of the Young Finnish Party
supporting monarchy
. (The previous day the republicans of both parties had founded the National Progressive Party
.) The founding meeting declared, "A national coalition is needed over old party lines that have lost meaning and have too long separated similarly thinking citizens. This coalition's grand task must be to work to strengthen in our nation the forces that maintain society. Lawful societal order must be strictly upheld and there must be no compromise with revolutionary aspirations. But simultaneously determined constructive reform work must be pursued." The party sought to accomplish this by advocating constitutional monarchy and, failing that, strong governmental powers within a republican framework; and by implementing a number of social and economic reforms, such as compulsory education, universal health care, and progressive income and property taxation.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s the threat posed by the Joseph Stalin
's communist Soviet Union
influenced Finnish politics. Communists, backed by Soviet leaders, accelerated their activities. Although Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
, the party's first President
, played a key role in halting the Lapua Movement
, in the 1933 parliamentary election the party formed an electoral coalition with Patriotic People's Movement
, founded by former Lapua Movement supporters. The result was a major defeat. The party lost 24 of its previous 42 seats in the parliament. It made a break with the Patriotic People's Movement in 1934 under the newly elected chairman J.K. Paasikivi. Nevertheless it was shut out of government until the outbreak of the Winter War
and only slowly gained back support. During both the Winter War
and the Continuation War
, the party took part in unity governments and generally strongly supported government policies. After the war the National Coalition Party sought to portray itself as defender of democracy against the resurgent Finnish communists. Paasikivi, who had advocated making more concessions to Soviet Union before the Winter War and taken a cautious line with regard to cooperation with Germany before the Continuation War, acted first as Prime Minister (1944–1946) and then as President (1946–1956). The conflict between the party and the communist Finnish People's Democratic League
culminated when President Paasikivi fired the Communist Minister of the Interior Yrjö Leino
, who had used the security police to spy on the party's youth organization among other abuses.
In 1951 the party changed its name from the original Kansallinen Kokoomuspuolue to the current Kansallinen Kokoomus. The 1950s were also a time of ideological reform, as emphasis on individual liberty and free market reforms increased at the expense of social conservatism
and maintaining a strong government. A minor division in 1958 led to the formation of the Christian Democrats
.
From 1966 to 1987 the party was shut out of government. By criticizing President Urho Kekkonen
and Finnish communists, the party had lost the President's trust and governments based on the Centre Party and left-wing parties followed one another. A new guard emerged within the party in the 1970s that sought to improve relations with President Kekkonen. Their work was partially successful in the late 1970s. However, even though the party supported Kekkonen for president in 1978 and became the second biggest party in the country in the 1979 parliamentary election, a place in the government continued to elude it until the end of Kekkonen's time in office.
During the long years in opposition the party's support had grown steadily and in 1987 it attained the best parliamentary election result in its history. Harri Holkeri became the party's first Prime Minister since Paasikivi. During Holkeri's time in office, the Finnish economy suffered a downturn
, precipitated by a coincidence of factors, and the 1991 parliamentary election resulted in a loss. The party continued in the government as a junior partner until the 2003 parliamentary election, after which it spent four years in the opposition.
In 1990, the Youth Union of National Coalition was the first significant political organization in Finland to publicly advocate membership in the European Union.
The current party chairman is Jyrki Katainen
, who was elected in 2004. In March 2006, Katainen was elected Vice-President of the European People's Party
(EPP). He is seen as a dynamic and reforming person by many party members although there have been some doubts in the Finnish media about his lack of experience and relatively young age (born in 1971). The previous party chairman is Ville Itälä
, who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
after his term in office in 2003.
The National Coalition Party's candidate in the 2006 Finnish presidential election
was former Minister of Finance and ex-party chairman Sauli Niinistö
. He qualified for the second round runoff as one of the top two candidates in the first round, but was defeated by the incumbent Tarja Halonen
with 51.8% of the vote against his 48.2%.
, in which it suffered a defeat, getting only 18.6% of the votes and losing six seats to bring its total down to 40. (It later gained two seats through defections.) In the 2007 parliamentary election
the party increased its share to 50 seats in what was the biggest gain of the election. The party held a close second place in the Parliament after the Centre Party, which had 51 seats. The Social Democratic Party were third with 45 seats. After the election the party entered into a coalition government together with the Centre Party, the Green League
, and the Swedish People's Party. The NCP got important portfolios, including those of Finance and Foreign Affairs.
In the 2011 parliamentary election
the party came first place for the first time in history with 44 seats, despite losing six seats. After lengthy negotiations party chairman Jyrki Katainen became Prime Minister in a six-party coalition government
, which includes parties from left to right.
Liberal conservatism
Liberal conservatism also known as progressive conservatism is a variant of political conservatism which incorporates liberal elements. As "conservatism" and "liberalism" have had different meanings over time and across countries, the term "liberal conservatism" has been used in quite different...
political
Politics of Finland
Politics of Finland takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic and of a multi-party system. The President of Finland is the head of state, leads the foreign policy, and is the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Forces. The Prime Minister of Finland is the head...
party in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
founded in 1918.
The National Coalition Party is one of the four largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
, the Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
and the True Finns
True Finns
True Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
. The party bases its politics on "individual freedom and responsibility, equality, Western democracy and economic system, humane principles and caring." The party is strongly pro-European and is a member of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP).
Its vote share has been around 20% in parliamentary elections in the 1990s and 2000s. It won 44 out of 200 seats in the parliamentary
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
elections of 2011
Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
, becoming the largest party in the Finnish parliament for the first time in its history. On communal level it had become the most popular party already in 2008.
Ideology and voter base
According to itself the National Coalition Party wants to build "a society where a person’s own choices, hopes and needs set the direction for development."The party defends "individual freedom and promote people’s opportunities to make choices, but without ignoring everyone’s responsibility for one’s own life, fellowmen and the environment. Our ideology combines freedom
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
with responsibility
Moral responsibility
Moral responsibility usually refers to the idea that a person has moral obligations in certain situations. Disobeying moral obligations, then, becomes grounds for justified punishment. Deciding what justifies punishment, if anything, is a principle concern of ethics.People who have moral...
, democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
". The party's basic values are education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
, rewarding and caring.
The party has several political currents. In international affairs, the party has viewed the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in much more positive terms than any other party. It is also supportive of seeking membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The party wants to build "economically and politically stronger European Union, we envisage an EU that is a more effective and a more prominent actor in world politics".
Polls show that as of 2008, the National Coalition Party is the party that has been viewed most positively by Finns and its membership has been on the rise. Out of the major parties, the National Coalition Party has the highest proportion of women (2005 statistics) and is the most favored party among young generations (2008 statistics).
The party has strongest support on cities in Southern Finland and is popular among entrepreneurs, although not associating in any particular social group.
Organisation
People can join various member organizations in the party.Student Union of National Coalition is the largest political student's movement in Finland.
The party's Women's League (Kokoomuksen Naisten Liitto/Samlingspartiets Kvinnoförbund, or shortly Kokoomusnaiset) brings women together and focuses on improving gender equality in Finland and around the world. It believes that "women and men must have the same opportunities and rights to come to life, grow up, receive education, participate, work and care".
The Swedish-language activities are organised by the Centre-right Coalition in Finland (Borgerlig samling i Finland, BiF).
Many immigrants have joined the National Immigrants , an immigrant group led by Turkish-born Hülya Kytö from Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
.
History
The party was founded December 9, 1918, after the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
, by the majority of the Finnish Party
Finnish Party
The Finnish Party was a Fennoman conservative political party in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland and independent Finland. Born out of Finland's language strife in the 1860s, the party sought to improve the position of the Finnish language in Finnish society...
and the minority of the Young Finnish Party
Young Finnish Party
The Young Finnish Party or Constitutional-Fennoman Party was a liberal and nationalist political party in the Grand Duchy of Finland...
supporting monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
. (The previous day the republicans of both parties had founded the National Progressive Party
National Progressive Party (Finland)
The National Progressive Party was a liberal political party in Finland from 1918 to 1951. The party was founded December 8 1918, after the Finnish Civil War, by the republican majority of the Young Finnish Party and the republican minority of the Finnish Party...
.) The founding meeting declared, "A national coalition is needed over old party lines that have lost meaning and have too long separated similarly thinking citizens. This coalition's grand task must be to work to strengthen in our nation the forces that maintain society. Lawful societal order must be strictly upheld and there must be no compromise with revolutionary aspirations. But simultaneously determined constructive reform work must be pursued." The party sought to accomplish this by advocating constitutional monarchy and, failing that, strong governmental powers within a republican framework; and by implementing a number of social and economic reforms, such as compulsory education, universal health care, and progressive income and property taxation.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s the threat posed by the Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's communist Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
influenced Finnish politics. Communists, backed by Soviet leaders, accelerated their activities. Although Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad , December 15, 1861 – February 29, 1944) was the third President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence...
, the party's first President
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
, played a key role in halting the Lapua Movement
Lapua Movement
The Lapua Movement , was a Finnish radical nationalist and anti-communist political movement founded in and named after the town of Lapua. After radicalisation it turned towards far-right politics and was banned after a failed coup-d'état in 1932...
, in the 1933 parliamentary election the party formed an electoral coalition with Patriotic People's Movement
Patriotic People's Movement (Finland)
Patriotic People's Movement, abbreviated to IKL), was a Finnish nationalist and anti-communist political party. IKL was the successor of the previously banned Lapuan liike...
, founded by former Lapua Movement supporters. The result was a major defeat. The party lost 24 of its previous 42 seats in the parliament. It made a break with the Patriotic People's Movement in 1934 under the newly elected chairman J.K. Paasikivi. Nevertheless it was shut out of government until the outbreak of the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and only slowly gained back support. During both the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, the party took part in unity governments and generally strongly supported government policies. After the war the National Coalition Party sought to portray itself as defender of democracy against the resurgent Finnish communists. Paasikivi, who had advocated making more concessions to Soviet Union before the Winter War and taken a cautious line with regard to cooperation with Germany before the Continuation War, acted first as Prime Minister (1944–1946) and then as President (1946–1956). The conflict between the party and the communist Finnish People's Democratic League
Finnish People's Democratic League
Finnish People's Democratic League was a Finnish political organisation with the aim of uniting those left of the Finnish Social Democratic Party...
culminated when President Paasikivi fired the Communist Minister of the Interior Yrjö Leino
Yrjö Leino
Yrjö Leino was a Finnish communist politician. Imprisoned twice for his communist activities, and spending much of the Second World War as an underground communist activist, he served as a minister in three cabinets between 1944 and 1948.- Early years :Yrjö Leino was the only child of tanner Oskar...
, who had used the security police to spy on the party's youth organization among other abuses.
In 1951 the party changed its name from the original Kansallinen Kokoomuspuolue to the current Kansallinen Kokoomus. The 1950s were also a time of ideological reform, as emphasis on individual liberty and free market reforms increased at the expense of social conservatism
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
and maintaining a strong government. A minor division in 1958 led to the formation of the Christian Democrats
Christian Democrats (Finland)
The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
.
From 1966 to 1987 the party was shut out of government. By criticizing President Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
and Finnish communists, the party had lost the President's trust and governments based on the Centre Party and left-wing parties followed one another. A new guard emerged within the party in the 1970s that sought to improve relations with President Kekkonen. Their work was partially successful in the late 1970s. However, even though the party supported Kekkonen for president in 1978 and became the second biggest party in the country in the 1979 parliamentary election, a place in the government continued to elude it until the end of Kekkonen's time in office.
During the long years in opposition the party's support had grown steadily and in 1987 it attained the best parliamentary election result in its history. Harri Holkeri became the party's first Prime Minister since Paasikivi. During Holkeri's time in office, the Finnish economy suffered a downturn
Early 1990s recession in Finland
Early 1990s recession in Finland beginning of the 1990s was one of Finland's history's worst economic crises from its economy effects, worse than the depression of the 1930s in Finland....
, precipitated by a coincidence of factors, and the 1991 parliamentary election resulted in a loss. The party continued in the government as a junior partner until the 2003 parliamentary election, after which it spent four years in the opposition.
In 1990, the Youth Union of National Coalition was the first significant political organization in Finland to publicly advocate membership in the European Union.
The current party chairman is Jyrki Katainen
Jyrki Katainen
Jyrki Tapani Katainen is the Prime Minister of Finland and chairman of the country's largest party, the National Coalition Party.-Career:...
, who was elected in 2004. In March 2006, Katainen was elected Vice-President of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP). He is seen as a dynamic and reforming person by many party members although there have been some doubts in the Finnish media about his lack of experience and relatively young age (born in 1971). The previous party chairman is Ville Itälä
Ville Itälä
Ville Heimo Antero Itälä is a Finnish politician. He was elected member of the Finnish Parliament from the district of Finland Proper in 1995. Itälä served as the Minister of Interior under Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen in 2000–2003. He was elected chairman of the National Coalition Party ...
, who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
after his term in office in 2003.
The National Coalition Party's candidate in the 2006 Finnish presidential election
Finnish presidential election, 2006
The Finnish Presidential election of 2006 saw the re-election of Tarja Halonen as President of Finland for a second six-year term.The first round of voting in Finnish presidential elections always takes place on the third Sunday of January, in this case 15 January 2006...
was former Minister of Finance and ex-party chairman Sauli Niinistö
Sauli Niinistö
Sauli Väinämö Niinistö is a Finnish politician from National Coalition Party. He is also President of the Football Association of Finland. A lawyer by training, he was Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2003 and the National Coalition Party candidate in the 2006 presidential election...
. He qualified for the second round runoff as one of the top two candidates in the first round, but was defeated by the incumbent Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
with 51.8% of the vote against his 48.2%.
Latest elections
The National Coalition Party had been in the opposition since the 2003 parliamentary electionFinnish parliamentary election, 2003
The Finnish parliamentary election of 2003 was the 34th election to the Eduskunta , held on 16 March 2003 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term...
, in which it suffered a defeat, getting only 18.6% of the votes and losing six seats to bring its total down to 40. (It later gained two seats through defections.) In the 2007 parliamentary election
Finnish parliamentary election, 2007
The Finnish parliamentary election of 2007 was the 35th election to the Eduskunta , held on 18 March 2007 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. Two hundred MPs were elected from 15 constituencies.Election themes included a reduction...
the party increased its share to 50 seats in what was the biggest gain of the election. The party held a close second place in the Parliament after the Centre Party, which had 51 seats. The Social Democratic Party were third with 45 seats. After the election the party entered into a coalition government together with the Centre Party, the Green League
Green League
The Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
, and the Swedish People's Party. The NCP got important portfolios, including those of Finance and Foreign Affairs.
In the 2011 parliamentary election
Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
the party came first place for the first time in history with 44 seats, despite losing six seats. After lengthy negotiations party chairman Jyrki Katainen became Prime Minister in a six-party coalition government
Jyrki Katainen's cabinet
Jyrki Katainen's cabinet is the 72nd cabinet of Finland, formed as a result of the 2011 post-parliamentary election negotiations between the Finnish parliamentary parties...
, which includes parties from left to right.
Parliament
Parliament>ry elections
|
table class="wikitable"> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | MPs | Votes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 Finnish parliamentary election, 1962 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 4 and 5 February 1962.-Background:Sukselainen's second minority government had resigned in 1961, followed by Prime Minister Martti Miettunen's first government, also a centrist minority government. In the spring of 1961, Mr... |
32 | 346 638 | 15,06 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 Finnish parliamentary election, 1966 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 20 and 21 March 1966.-Background:Prime Minister Johannes Virolainen had led a centre-right coalition government since September 1964. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic leader Rafael Paasio had moved the party somewhat more to the left, in order to... |
26 | 326 928 | 13,79 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 Finnish parliamentary election, 1970 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 15 and 16 March 1970.-Background:Social Democrat Mauno Koivisto had replaced his party leader Rafael Paasio as Prime Minister in March 1968. His government was very broad-based, including the Social Democrats, Centrists, Communists, Swedish People's... |
37 | 457 582 | 18,05 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972 Finnish parliamentary election, 1972 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 2 and 3 January 1972.-Background:Prime Minister Karjalainen's centre-left government lost one party, the Communists, in March 1971 and was forced to resign in October 1971, due to the Social Democrats' and Centrists' disagreement over the amount of... |
34 | 453 434 | 17,59 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975 Finnish parliamentary election, 1975 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 21 and 22 September 1975.-Background:Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa's government survived until June 1975. It resigned because of internal disagreements over the ways to combat Finland's recession, which had largely been caused by the 1973 Oil Crisis,... |
35 | 505 145 | 18,37 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979 Finnish parliamentary election, 1979 Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 18 and 18 March 1979.-Background:Prime Minister Miettunen's centrist minority government had resigned in May 1977. After a two-year break, Social Democrat Kalevi Sorsa returned to office as Prime Minister... |
47 | 626 764 | 21,65 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 Finnish parliamentary election, 1983 The Finnish parliamentary election in 1983 was held after the victory of Mauno Koivisto in the presidential election of 1982. As was customary in Finland after a presidential election, the government resigned after Koivisto's victory in January 1982... |
44 | 659 078 | 22,12 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 Finnish parliamentary election, 1987 The Finnish parliamentary election of 1987 moved the country somewhat to the right. It was uncertain how far, because the voter participation rate--at a comparatively low 75 percent, 5 percent lower than usual--hurt the left more than the right and had a varying impact... |
53 | 666 236 | 23,13 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 Finnish parliamentary election, 1991 The Finnish Parliamentary election of 1991, held on March 17, was historic, since it led to the Centre Party becoming the largest parliamentary party, forming a purely centre-right government for the first time after 1966 The Finnish Parliamentary election of 1991, held on March 17, was historic,... |
40 | 526 487 | 19,31 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 Finnish parliamentary election, 1995 The 32nd elections to the Finnish parliament were held on March 19, 1995. The previous centre-right cabinet fell, as the Social Democrats made strong gains and achieved the best result of any party after the Second World War... |
39 | 497 624 | 17,89 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 Finnish parliamentary election, 1999 The 1999 Finnish parliamentary election was held on March 21, 1999. Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen's Social Democrats remained the largest party of the Eduskunta, despite significant losses... |
46 | 563 835 | 21,03 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 Finnish parliamentary election, 2003 The Finnish parliamentary election of 2003 was the 34th election to the Eduskunta , held on 16 March 2003 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term... |
40 | 517 904 | 18,55 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 Finnish parliamentary election, 2007 The Finnish parliamentary election of 2007 was the 35th election to the Eduskunta , held on 18 March 2007 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. Two hundred MPs were elected from 15 constituencies.Election themes included a reduction... |
50 | 616 841 | 22,26 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%.... |
44 | 598 369 | 20,44 % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
European parliament
| Year | MEPs | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 European Parliament election, 1996 (Finland) The European Parliament election of 1996 in Finland was the first election of the Finnish delegation to the European Parliament.-Background:In 1996, Finland had a population of 5.1 million . The government was a broad coalition led by the social democrat Paavo Lipponen... |
4 | 453 729 | 20,17 % |
| 1999 European Parliament election, 1999 (Finland) The European Parliament election of 1999 in Finland was the election of the delegation from Finland to the European Parliament in 1999.-Results:-References:... |
4 | 313 960 | 25,27 % |
| 2004 European Parliament election, 2004 (Finland) The European Parliament election of 2004 in Finland was the election of MEP representing Finland constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 13... |
4 | 392 771 | 23,71 % |
| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (Finland) The European Parliament election of 2009 in Finland was the election of the delegation from Finland to the European Parliament in 2009.Finland uses the open list d'Hondt method, where voters vote for an individual, but the individual's vote is counted primarily for the party and secondarily for the... |
3 | 386 416 | 23,21 % |
Municipal
| Year | Councillors | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 88 159 | 5,85 % | |
| 1953 | 133 626 | 7,59 % | |
| 1956 | 105 220 | 6,29 % | |
| 1960 | 275 560 | 14,04 % | |
| 1964 | 213 378 | 10,0 % | |
| 1968 | 1 388 | 364 428 | 16,09 % |
| 1972 | 1 503 | 451 484 | 18,06 % |
| 1976 | 2 047 | 561 121 | 20,92 % |
| 1980 | 2 373 | 628 950 | 22,94 % |
| 1984 | 2 423 | 619 264 | 22,96 % |
| 1988 | 2 392 | 601 468 | 22,87 % |
| 1992 | 2 009 | 507 574 | 19,05 % |
| 1996 | 2 167 | 514 313 | 21,64 % |
| 2000 | 2 028 | 463 493 | 20,84 % |
| 2004 | 2 078 | 521 412 | 21,83 % |
| 2008 | 2 020 | 597 727 | 23,45 % |
List of party Chairmen
- Hugo SuolahtiHugo SuolahtiHugo Suolahti was an early twentieth century Finnish politician, linguist and philologist...
(1918–1919) - Eemil Nestor SetäläEemil Nestor SetäläEemil Nestor Setälä, was a Finnish politician and once the Chairman of the Senate of Finland, from September 1917 to November 1917....
(1920) - Antti TulenheimoAntti TulenheimoAntti Agathon Tulenheimo was a Finnish politician from the National Coalition Party who served as Prime Minister of Finland in 1925.-References:...
(1921–1924) - Hugo SuolahtiHugo SuolahtiHugo Suolahti was an early twentieth century Finnish politician, linguist and philologist...
(1925) - Kyösti HaatajaKyösti HaatajaKyösti Haataja was a twentieth century Finnish politician.He was a member of the National Coalition Party and was the chairman of the party between 1926 and 1932 following Hugo Suolahti....
(1926–1932) - Paavo VirkkunenPaavo VirkkunenPaavo Virkkunen was a Finnish conservative politician.He was a member of the Finnish Party and was elected in the parliament in 1914, but joined the National Coalition Party in 1919 . He was five times the Speaker of the Parliament...
(1932–1933) - Juho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti Paasikivi was the seventh President of Finland . Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland , and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years...
(1934–1936) - Pekka PennanenPekka PennanenPekka Pennanen was a twentieth century Finnish politician.He was a member of the National Coalition Party and was the chairman of the party in 1936 - 1942 following the leadership of Paavo Virkkunen.-References:*...
(1936–1942) - Edwin LinkomiesEdwin LinkomiesEdwin Johannes Hildegard Linkomies was Prime Minister of Finland March 1943 to August 1944, and one of the seven politicians sentenced to 5½ years in prison as allegedly responsible for the Continuation War, on the demand of the Soviet Union...
(1943–1944) - K. F. Lehtonen (1945)
- Arvo SalminenArvo SalminenArvo Ilmari Salminen was a twentieth century Finnish politician.He was a member of the National Coalition Party and was the chairman of the party in 1946 - 1954. He served in Parliament in 1945 - 1948 and again in 1951 - 1958...
(1946–1954) - Jussi SaukkonenJussi SaukkonenJussi Saukkonen was a Finnish politician.He was a member of the National Coalition Party and was chairman of the party for ten years between 1955 and 1965....
(1955–1965) - Juha Rihtniemi (1965–1971)
- Harri Holkeri (1971–1979)
- Ilkka SuominenIlkka SuominenIlkka Olavi Suominen is a Finnish politician from the National Coalition Party.He was member of the parliament from 1970 to 1975 and from 1983 to 1994. Suominen was the chairman of the National Coalition Party 1979–1991 and twice the speaker of the parliament 1987 and 1991-1994...
(1979–1991) - Pertti Salolainen (1991–1994)
- Sauli NiinistöSauli NiinistöSauli Väinämö Niinistö is a Finnish politician from National Coalition Party. He is also President of the Football Association of Finland. A lawyer by training, he was Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2003 and the National Coalition Party candidate in the 2006 presidential election...
(1994–2001) - Ville ItäläVille ItäläVille Heimo Antero Itälä is a Finnish politician. He was elected member of the Finnish Parliament from the district of Finland Proper in 1995. Itälä served as the Minister of Interior under Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen in 2000–2003. He was elected chairman of the National Coalition Party ...
(2001–2004) - Jyrki KatainenJyrki KatainenJyrki Tapani Katainen is the Prime Minister of Finland and chairman of the country's largest party, the National Coalition Party.-Career:...
(2004–)
Prominent party leaders
- Lauri IngmanLauri IngmanLauri Ingman was a Finnish theologian, bishop and politician. From 1916 to 1930 he was the professor of practical theology in the University of Helsinki...
– Prime Minister of Finland 1918–1919 and 1924–1925 - Antti TulenheimoAntti TulenheimoAntti Agathon Tulenheimo was a Finnish politician from the National Coalition Party who served as Prime Minister of Finland in 1925.-References:...
– Prime Minister of Finland 1925 - Pehr Evind SvinhufvudPehr Evind SvinhufvudPehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad , December 15, 1861 – February 29, 1944) was the third President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence...
– President of Finland 1931–1937 - Edwin LinkomiesEdwin LinkomiesEdwin Johannes Hildegard Linkomies was Prime Minister of Finland March 1943 to August 1944, and one of the seven politicians sentenced to 5½ years in prison as allegedly responsible for the Continuation War, on the demand of the Soviet Union...
– Prime Minister of Finland 1943–1944 - Juho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti Paasikivi was the seventh President of Finland . Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland , and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years...
– President of Finland 1946–1956, Prime Minister of Finland 1944–1946 - Harri Holkeri – Prime Minister of Finland 1987–1991
- Sauli NiinistöSauli NiinistöSauli Väinämö Niinistö is a Finnish politician from National Coalition Party. He is also President of the Football Association of Finland. A lawyer by training, he was Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2003 and the National Coalition Party candidate in the 2006 presidential election...
– Minister of Finance of Finland 1995–2003, Speaker of the Parliament of Finland 2007–2011 - Jyrki KatainenJyrki KatainenJyrki Tapani Katainen is the Prime Minister of Finland and chairman of the country's largest party, the National Coalition Party.-Career:...
- Minister of Finance of Finland 2007-2011, Prime Minister of Finland 2011-